For years now I have been waiting to see Mayhem. As odd as it may seem, they were one of the very first metal bands I got into, so I feel more of a connection with their music. In 2009 they did a US tour but unfortunately I wasn't able to attend, so I had to wait another two years. When this tour was announced I immediately wanted to go, but as the date got closer I realized that soon I'm going to have a bit of a money problem due to being unemployed. I've tried to cut back on my spending a lot and that included skipping shows. I decided it would be best if I just pass up this one, but I couldn't fully convince myself not to go. So, the night before I bought my ticket anyway. It was an opportunity I've waited on for far too long and I couldn't let it slip away now.

Now with a ticket in hand I prepared to see one of my favorite bands. I showed up a bit late, hoping to have missed Abigail Williams. My plan worked out well and as I walked inside I could see Hate setting up on stage. This would be Hate's third US tour this year, which is interesting considering before 2010 they had never been over here. Their label must be intent on pushing them into the American market. However, I am fine with this, as I really enjoy them. They always put on a good show and this time was no exception. Unfortunately there were a couple problems though. The snare was buried in the mix, so you could barely even hear the blast beats. Secondly, their set was cut by two songs due to time constraints. Nevertheless, they were still crushing and seemed to get a good response from the crowd.

Erebos

Threnody

Hex

Luminous Horizon

Next up was Keep of Kalessin, and I honestly was not expecting much from them. Their last album left me disappointed, and that was what their set was based around. I wish they had played some older material, but they didn't even play anything pre-Kolossus. Although I didn't enjoy their song choices, they still put on an awesome performance. They were very tight and the drummer was a monster.

Kolossus

The Awakening

Judgement

Dragon Iconography

Dark as Moonless Night

The Divine Land

Ascendant

Now was the moment I had waited for years to come. Mayhem was going to take the stage and play some of the most iconic material in the history of black metal. I was able to get a good spot in the second row and I eagerly awaited for them to appear. "Silvester Anfang" began to play and the crowd chanted their name. They walked out through the eerie fog and exploded into "Deathcrush". I could not believe I was finally witnessing this. They remained shrouded in fog throughout the entire set and it was so thick that I could not even see Hellhammer behind the kit. I imagine that the people in the back of the room might have had a hard time seeing the stage, but from up front the atmosphere was perfect.

They went from song to song without much time between them and did not interact with the crowd much at all. It gave it a truly mysterious feel. The sound was great, but Attila's vocals could have been a bit higher in the mix. Hellhammer's drums sounded incredible and they were not overbearing like they seem to be in some of their live recordings. I was actually able to hear Necrobutcher's bass beneath the guitars, so that was a plus. They plowed forward through the set and played most of their classic songs, including my personal favorite, "Carnage". I never thought I'd be able to hear all these classics live, so it was really unbelievable for me. The only thing that disappointed me was that they only played about a minute of "Pure Fucking Armageddon". Overall it was incredible though. I'm glad I changed my mind about going to the show, because it's a memory I'm never going to forget.

That sucks they cut four songs from the set. Were they running late? It was the songs I wouldn't care about seeing anyways. I'm bummed I missed the show. I didn't want to spend the money on the show and I had a shit ton of homework to catch up on

That sucks they cut four songs from the set. Were they running late? It was the songs I wouldn't care about seeing anyways. I'm bummed I missed the show. I didn't want to spend the money on the show and I had a shit ton of homework to catch up on

The show ended at 12:45, so I don't think they were running late, since a lot of the shows there end at 1:30. Maybe they've decided to end shows earlier or something.

If money was issue you should have gone to the LA date tonight instead. For Black Friday purposes, House of Blues LA had a few shows (this one included) for $15 with fees included on Friday and Saturday only.

I didn't know about that. Still, with gas to drive to Hollywood and back it would have come out to about the same amount of money.

Ah i see. What area do you live at? I live in El Monte, which is right next to Arcadia, West Covina, Alhambra, Rosemead and La Puente if you know where any of those cites are. The trip to Hollywood is a lot closer to me opposed to Anaheim or Santa Ana which is usually where the shows you go to are at. I'll go to a show in one of those 2 cities every now and then but if there's a date in Hollywood I'd rather go to that.